CXMT prices Shanghai IPO at US$85.2bn valuation, China's largest chip listing
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), China's leading memory chipmaker, has priced its Shanghai Star Market initial public offering at 8.66 yuan (US$1.28) per share, setting up what will be the largest listing by a Chinese semiconductor company on a mainland exchange. The Hefei, Anhui province-based firm announced the pricing on Tuesday, 15 July 2026, in an offering circular that confirmed a headline valuation of 579 billion yuan (US$85.2 billion).
Deal size and structure
CXMT is selling nearly 6.7 billion shares, representing 10 per cent of its enlarged capital, to raise gross proceeds of 57.9 billion yuan (US$8.5 billion). Should underwriters fully exercise the 15 per cent overallotment — or greenshoe — option, the offering could expand to 7.7 billion shares and generate up to 66.6 billion yuan (US$9.83 billion), according to the company's offering announcement.
A record-breaking A-share milestone
The deal eclipses the 53.23 billion yuan raised by Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) in its landmark 2020 Shanghai listing, making CXMT's IPO the largest A-share offering ever by a Chinese chip company. Notably, the fundraising total is nearly double the 29.5 billion yuan that CXMT had earmarked for specific investment projects in its prospectus, signalling strong institutional appetite for domestic memory capacity.
Subscription timeline
Online and offline subscriptions are scheduled for Thursday, 17 July 2026, though CXMT has not yet announced a trading debut date on the Shanghai Stock Exchange's Star Market. The Star Market, launched in 2019, was designed specifically to attract high-tech and semiconductor companies that might otherwise list overseas.
Why it matters
CXMT is widely regarded as China's most advanced domestic producer of DRAM memory chips, a segment dominated globally by Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and Micron Technology. The scale of this IPO underscores Beijing's strategic push to achieve self-sufficiency in semiconductor memory at a time when US export controls have intensified pressure on the domestic chip supply chain.
What's next
Investors will be watching closely for the confirmed listing date and first-day trading performance, which will serve as a barometer of domestic confidence in China's semiconductor ambitions. The capital raised is expected to fund expanded production capacity, and any acceleration in CXMT's technology roadmap could intensify competitive pressure on global memory incumbents.